Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler

This article from the New York Times by Mark Bittman discusses the costs of meat production and the possibility for reducing production or creating a healthier system of production. I didn't find the article mindblowing, but there were a few good data examples such as
An estimated 30 percent of the earth’s ice-free land is directly or indirectly involved in livestock production, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, which also estimates that livestock production generates nearly a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases — more than transportation.

And some nice info-graphics for graphic art nerds such as myself:

I do have a few issues with the article because of statements such as, "And would the world not be a better place were some of the grain we use to grow meat directed instead to feed our fellow human beings?". Although has it's heart in the right place, it is not considering all of the facts: The world produces more than enough food for all of the earth's population. Also, he mentions that increasing production of grain-fed cattle increases the need for grain production. In the Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan suggested that highly subsidized excess corn production was a cause for feeding livestock with grain rather than with their natural food source grass, because the meat could be produced more cheaply* on less land. In other words, excessive amounts of corn created excessive amounts of cheap livestock not the other way around.

Read the article here for yourself.

* - cheaply is a relative term that doesn't include cost of subsidies or environmental costs